Nail-keg-packing machine.



J. PHIFER.

NAIL NEG' PACKING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APILS; ISI-I.

1,168,197. y Patented DCC. 7,1915. v

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

J. s. PHIFER. NAH.` KEG PACKING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APRS. 19H.

Patented. Dec. 1915.

a .n n o u S N n m m E w 3 u nl S nl E N 11 w 9. mi

j. S. PHIFER.

NAIL KEG PACKING MACHINE.

APPLxcATloN FILED Amsflsn.

' LW. Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES STUART PHIFER, F ALLENTOWN, lli"ENNSYLV'ANIA, ASSIG-NOR T0 THE AMERI- CAN STEEL & WIRE COMPANY 0F NEW JERSEY, 0F HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY, A. COB- POEATION 0F NEW JERSEY.

NAIL-KEG-PACKING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 7, 1915.,

Application filed April 3, 1911. Serial No. 618,535.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JAMES STUART PHI- rrm, of Allentown, in the county of Lehigh and State of Pennsylvania have invented a new and useful N ail-Keg-Facking Machine, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My mvention relates to apparatus adapted for use in packing nails, and more particularly relates to apparatus employed in packing nails in kegs.

@ne object of this invention is to provide a nail packing machine having means whereby a heap of nails is separated, the separated nails are distributed in certain denite relative positions and the distributed nails are deposited in such relative position within kegs in which the nails are packaged in bulk for storage and shipment.

Another object ofmy invention is to provide a nail packing machine having novel means by which the placing of the nails in position in parallel relation with each other within the kegs is effected and means where by the nails are compacted within the kegs and the use of the maximum storage capacity of the kegs is obtained and made certain.

A further object of the invention is to provide a keg packing machine having novel means whereby the nails are mechanically deposited` and assembled within the kegs side by side in a series of substantially parallel rows and are maintained in such position while the kegs are being filled.

A still further object of my invention is to provide apparatus for packing nails in kegs having novel means by which nails in a heap vare automatically separated, delivered into and packed in kegs by mechanical means and without the use of manual labor.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan showing one form of nail packing machine constructed and arranged in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.v Fig. 3 is an end elevation partly in section of the apparatus shown in Figs. l and 2. Fig. 4 is a plan showing the preferred means employed in placing the nails in av position within the keg. Fig. 5 is an end elevationv of the apparatus shown in Fig. 4, and Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the apparatus shown in Figs. i and 5.

In .the accompanying drawings, 2 designates a bin or hopper in which the nails are stored in a heap preparatory to being distributed and packed in the kegs, the nails being placed in any desired manner. The hopper 2 has a downwardly and outwardly sloping bottom and a doorway or opening is provided on the lower side through which a quantity of the nails is periodically discharged from the bin 2, preferably as required to keep the packing machine in continuous operation. A suitable gate or shutter which may be of any known construction 1s provided on the bin 2 to regulate and control the delivery of the nails through the outlet opening or doorway on the bin.

A reciprocating distributing plate or table 3 is located in front of the bin 2 beneath the discharge outlet thereon so as to receive on one side the nails as discharged from the bin and to distribute the nails over the surface of the plate in relatively parallel positions lengthwise. rlhe plate 3 is\inclined downwardly in the direction of its width from the side adjacent to the bin 2 and the top surface of the distributing plate 3 is provided with a series of parallel groovesv or recesses 4f extending transversely across the width ofthe table. Projections or pins 5 located on the table at separated intervals between the adjacent parallel grooves 4: extend above the grooved surface of the distributing plate 3 in the width of the plate, so as to engage with and cause .any nails vnot in a lengthwise position parallel to the length of or direction in which the grooves extend to assume such parallel position in passing over the grooved surface of the distributing plate toward the discharge side ofl the plate 3.

As shown inthe drawings the distributing plate 3 is secured through the integral legs 6 on its bottom surface to the upper ends of the vertical rocking arms or posts 7 of 100 which there are four, by means of ins or bolts 8, the lower ends of the arms being,

pivoted by bolts or pins 9 to the integral ears or lugs 10 on the base plate 1l,

' the top surface of per or bin The ends of the distributing plate 3 are provided with guards 12 extending above the plate or table, and the lower front discharge `side of the table 3 is provided with a rect-angular shield or guide 13 having an open bottom through which the nails are discharged from the distributing plate 3 and are delivered into one or another of the kegs placed beneath the guide or shield .13 in position to receive the nails. The opening through the bottom of the shield is divided into a series of discharge outlets and is arranged each to discharge into a separate keg by means of the inclined guide plates 14 and 15, which are lnclined downwardly toward each other, this construction being clearly shown 1n Flgs. 1, 2 and 3.

Located beneath the guide 0r shield 13 is a lseries of reciprocating keg holders 16, these holders in the construction shown, having angularly disposed arms 16, 17a, extend- ,ing horizontally and engaging with the kegs while the kegs are being lled or packed. The -arms 16a, 17a on each keg holder are connected to an integral vertical post 18 having on itslower end a foot or shoe 19 arranged to reciprocate in slideways fformed on the surface of the front end of the base plate 11. Thebase plate 11 has an extension 11a upon which the lower ends of the kegs slide horizontally when being reciprocated by the keg holders 16.

Mounted upon the base plate extension 11a is a series of kegs 20, one keg being placed beneath each of the four openings formed in the bottom of the guide or shield 13. The kegs are temporarily secured in engagement with the keg holders 16 so as to be reciprocated by the holders, vwhile being lled, by means of chains or other nexible connections 21 having one end permanently secured to the keg holder and being arranged to encircle the keg. The other end of these connections 21 is provided with a shackle 21a to connect the ends of the chains together in securing the kegs in position in operative engagement with the holder so as to be easily and quickly attached and detached therefromi A horizontallyy mounted in bearings 23, 2 3, secured on the columns 24, 24, and is provided .with a fast pulley 25 through which the shaft is driven by a belt 26 connected to a driving shaft or other prime mover (not shown). A loose pulley 27 is also provided on the shaft 22 to which the belt 26 is shifted when it is desired to stop the operation of the apparatus. The columns 24 may be providedto support the shaft bearings 23, 23, or conveniently located columns carrying the hop- 2 or the roof of the building, in whichthe apparatus is erected, may be used. As shown, an intermediate bearing 28 for extending shaft 22 isI the shaft 22 is provided, which is secured to the horizontal beam 29 extending between the columns 24.

b ecured on the horizontal shaft 22 is a series of eccentrics and on each of these eccentrics one end of one of the eccentric rods 30, 30, 30, 30, and one end of the eccentric rods 31, 31, are mounted. The opposite ends of each rod 30 are connected each to the keg holder 16 and one end of each of the two eccentric rods 31 is connected to one of the pins 8, by which the upper ends of the levers 7 are pivotally attached to the bottom surface of the reciprocating distributing table or plate 3.

In packing the nails in the kegs, a distributing funnel is employed, the construction of this funnel being shown in detail in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. As shown, the funnel formed by the top plate 32 is provided with a central circular opening 33 and an angle 34 is secured to the outer marginal edges of the plate 32, the one leg of this angle extending i vertically upward to form a rim on the plate 3Q. Secured to the plate 32 below the circLlar opening 33 in the plate, is a series of partitions 35, three of these partitions being employed, which are placed in parallel relation to each other at distances apart slightly less than the length of the nails being packed. rlhe size of the openings in the plate 32 will vary according to the size of the kegs and the distance the partitions 35 are spaced apart will vary according to the length of the nails being packed to vary the size of the compartments into which the keg is divided by the partitions. By substituting one size funnel for another, nails of various sizes can be packed in kegs of varying capacity. i

ln the operat'on of my improved apparatus a plurality of the"kegs is temporarily secured in position, each in engagement with vits keg holder 16 by means of the detachable connections or chains 21, after one of the funnels has been placed in the keg in the position shown. A quantity of nails of the size to be packed is placed in the bin 2 and the shaft 22 is startedv in motionby shifting the belt 26 from the loose pulley 27 to the tight pulley 25. When the shaft 22. is rotated the eccentrics on the shaft 22 connected with the eccentric rods 31 will cause the reciprocating distributing table 3 to rock backwardly and forwardly in a horizontal direction and at the same time the eccentrics, to which one end of the eccentric rods 30 are attached, will each reciprocate the keg holder 16 secured to the opposite end of these rods and cause the keg, temporarily secured thereto to reciprocate backwardly and forwardly on the base plate 11a. The gate or shutter on the door or outlet opening in the bin 2 is then opened to permit a qua tity -of nails to fall in a heap on the bin or upper side of the distributing table 3. The shaking movement caused by the reciprocation of this distributing table will cause the nails to gradually separate and be fed forwardly across the width ofthe table 3,*the nails falling into the series of parallel grooves with which the top surface of the table 3 is provided. The nails are gradually caused to assume a lengthwise position parallel with each other and with the direction in which the grooves extend in moving across the width of the table and are finally discharged from the lower forward end of this table through one or another of the openings in the guide or shield 13 located on the lower discharge end of the table. Any nails falling in a position transversely to the length of the grooves are caused to engage with one or another of the pins 5 projecting on the upper surface of the plate 3 above and between the grooves (the pins being located at suitable intervals to eiiiect such result), and, by engagement with such pin or pins, are turned in further reciprocating movements of the table and caused to enter one or another of the grooves 4 in a lengthwise position and be delivered lengthwise by the time such nails reach the discharge end of the table. As the nails fall from the discharge end of the table they pass through the openings in the guide or shield 13 into one or the other of the compartments formed in the keg by the plates or partitions 35 on the tunnels, one of these tunnels having been placed in each of the kegs 20 at the time the kegs are secured temporarily to the keg holders 16. The nails, being slightly longer than the distance between adjacent partitions 35, which divide the kegs into compartments, will assume the lengthwise position in which they are delivered into the keg and the reciprocating movement of the kegs 20, while being packed, will eii'ect a relative movement of the nails and cause the nails to become closely arranged and compacted in the several sub-divisions or compartments of the keg formed by the partitions on the tunnels projecting downwardly into the kegs. The continued reciprocating movement of the kegs while being filled cause the nails to gradually fill the entire space of the kegs in parallel rows so as to fill and utilize all of the space in the keg. A further quantity of nails is supplied to the -distributing table from the-bin 2 as is required and as a keg becomes lled with nails it is disengaged from the keg holder and removed and is replaced by an empty keg manually,`

so that when once started the keg filling operations can be performed continuously for an indefinite time.

The advantages of my invention will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. rll"he nails will be placed in the kegs in a position which will facilitate their removal by handfuls later when being weighed or put to use. By packing the nails in the kegs in the compact manner obtained, as above described, thecapability of the kegs to withstand repeated rough handlings is increased. The compactness with which the nails are placed in the kegs tends to increase the capacity of the keg or permit of the size of the keg being lessened to hold a given quantity of nails, in this way affording the very great advantage of requiring less storage room and a saving in the cost of the kegs due to the decreased size for the use of a certain weight. Such a decrease in size is an important :tactorin the cost of the nails to the retailer, as in many cases the freight rates are based upon cubical displacement instead oit' weight.

The apparatus is adapted for use in packing1 materials of like character other than 85 nal s.

Modifications in the construction and arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim: 1. Apparatus for packing nails in kegs comprising, in combination, `automatic means for separating, guiding and distributing a heap of nails in denite relative positions and deliverin the separated nails into the open upper ens of the kegs, removable means in said kegs providing a plurality of entrances into each keg, and mechanism for shaking the nails.

2. Apparatus for packing nails in kegs comprising, in combination, means for separating and placing a quantity of nails in parallelism, means for delivering the nails into a keg, and means removably secured within said keg providin a plurality of entrancesinto the keg w ereby the nails are maintained in parallelism within the keg during the keg packing operation.

3. Apparatus for packing nails in kegs comprising in combination vmeans for separating and placing a quantity of nails in parallelism, means for delivering the nails I, into a keg, means removably secured with- 115 in said kegy providing a plurality of entrances into the keg whereby the nails are maintained in parallelism within the keg the kegs while being filled with 100 lduring the keg packing operation, and means for shaking'the keg while being filled 12o during the keg packing operation, and shaking mechanism arranged to reciprocate the keg horizontally during the keg filling operation to thereby compact the nails Within the keg.

5. Apparatus for packing nails in kegs comprising in combination means for separating and placing a quantity of nails in parallelism, means for delivering the nails into a keg, means removably secured within said keg providing a Elurality of entrances intothe keg Where y the nails are the keg during the keg In testimony Wh set my hand.

keg and means While being 15 the nails Within lling operation.

ereof, I have hereunto JAMES STUART PHIFER.

Witnesses:

D. W. S'rrMsoN, J. D. KEILY. 

